Metro Vancouver's new Port Mann Bridge is once again facing problems after icy conditions led to multiple collisions on the bridge deck this morning.

The company that runs the new Port Mann Bridge has ordered daily de-icing to prevent a repeat of the mayhem that was Thursday morning’s rush hour, when 40 vehicles were involved in collisions.

Max Logan, spokesman for Transportation Investment Corp., apologized to drivers Thursday and said the B.C. Crown corporation is “redoubling its efforts” to ensure the bridge is safe for winter driving.

Mainroad Lower Mainland Contracting, which does the winter maintenance, will apply a saltwater solution at least once a day as well as salt crystals when needed, Logan said.

The brine had last been applied to the bridge deck at 4 a.m. on Wednesday and was expected to be effective for 48 hours. But just 26 hours later — and despite Mainroad checking road and air temperature on the bridge several times between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to measure the potential for icing — the driving surface suddenly turned icy.

The ice, poor visibility in fog and speed were blamed for the crashes.

Surrey deputy fire chief Karen Fry said the bridge was “a mess” and it was even difficult to get tow trucks onto the bridge to remove damaged vehicles. Paramedics gave first aid to several people and one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries. TransLink temporarily rerouted the No. 555 express bus to Surrey City Centre.

“Despite [Mainroad’s] efforts, the concentration of saltwater brine solution was not sufficient,” Logan said. “It’s a disappointing morning for sure.

“Drivers are expecting to have a reliable free-flowing commute. … Obviously we ask them to be mindful of winter conditions, but there absolutely cannot be a repeat of this. With more salting and application of the brine we don’t expect these conditions to occur again.”

Drivers described the bridge as a sheet of ice.

Langley resident Greg Sadowski said he wasn’t surprised that traffic was spinning out of control on ice, noting that “it’s crazy” coming down the hill on the Surrey side of the bridge even when the road is dry.

“I knew if they didn’t come out with the ice team it was going to be a gong show and it certainly was,” he said.

Amanda Thomas, who left her Fraser Heights home at 5:30 a.m. Thursday and headed west across the bridge, said it didn’t seem slippery, but she drove slower than usual, under the speed limit, because it was hard to see. She got halfway across the bridge when she noticed a row of red tail lights, and stopped her car. “I figured there must be an accident up ahead, probably because of the fog,” Thomas said.

Seconds later, she heard a horn blaring. Looking in her rear-view mirror, she saw an SUV barrelling down the HOV lane beside her. “The car ahead had nowhere to go. The SUV swerved to the left, trying to get around the car and not hit him directly from behind,” Thomas said. “He hit the (concrete) barriers, then the car, which hit another car and so on.”

Stunned, Thomas looked in her mirror again and saw an SUV coming up behind her. She inched her car forward and to the right. The SUV missed her Honda Civic but struck cars in front of her.

“I told my friend I felt like I was in the middle of an action movie,” she said. “They were going really fast. My opinion is they were driving like they usually drive to work, even though it was foggy.”

RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen said the situation was compounded by similar icy conditions near 264th Avenue in Langley. He wasn’t aware of similar problems on other major Metro Vancouver bridges.

Logan said it is up to Mainroad to determine when brine or crystals are applied, but both TI Corp. and Mainroad are reviewing their policies. Brine is typically used for prevention, he said, while crystal salt is applied once its starts to snow or to prevent black ice.

“The contract essentially says they are responsible to make sure ice does not build up on the highway,” he said. “It’s not prescriptive, it’s focused on what the expectation is. They did not meet the expectation.”

Mainroad spokeswoman Niki Taylor said the company had been instructed by the B.C. ministry of transportation not to speak with the media. The provincial government did not return calls.

Logan said the new bridge has asphalt road surfaces similar to those on the old crossing, which also got brine every 48 hours in winter.

He said six patrols checked the bridge overnight and didn’t find any signs of ice accumulations as of 5 a.m.

He said the situation Thursday “was likely a combination of the weather and the fog. When the humidity is high, it can lead to rapid ice accumulation,” he said. “The other factor was the speed of traffic. Drivers were travelling at considering higher rates of speed.”

In the past, he said, drivers would have being going much slower because the old bridge was routinely congested.

Last month, shortly after the new bridge opened, several vehicles were damaged when ice fell from the bridge structure. One person was hit on the head by ice that fell off the bridge’s cable supports and through her roof.

Patrick Smith, a political scientist at Simon Fraser University, said there are always problems with new mega projects.

“The test will be if we have three more snow events between now and Easter and we have similar problems,” he said. “The test will be we’d better not see this again.”

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